By CommonGround Nebraska Volunteer Katy Wolff
Like any adolescent between the ages of eight and 18, when I was a kid, I lived for the summertime. There were two big things each summer that, to me, my world revolved around. The first was our county fair where I showcased my 4H projects, but the other was our annual family summer vacation. For a number of consecutive years, my extended family took to a lake refuge in Canada for a week of fishing.
As a child, I was blissfully unaware of the complicating factors that made not just planning a vacation but actually leaving for a vacation nearly impossible. And at that time, all we had at home was some 4H animals and a dog. But as a grown-up farmwife, the reality of vacation planning feels worlds apart from those carefree summers. On a farm, especially with livestock, spontaneity is simply not in the vocabulary. Every break requires weeks of advanced planning, coordination and even a little finger crossing.
When and where does a summer vacation even fit in for farmers? Spring is an onslaught of bustling activity after the stillness of winter. Calves, lambs, and goat kids begin gracing the greening pastures, and we enter the chaotic “planting season” for crop farmers. Just when everything seems to start settling down, school is out and summer comes bounding in with a new to-do list: making hay, crop irrigation, more livestock management, and then, before we realize it, those delicious lemonade days fade away, fall arrives, and harvest season begins.
So, how does Old McDonald take a vacation? With thorough planning, collaboration with family and business partners, and help from good neighbors, farmers can make stepping away from their operation a reality. From personal experience, critical planning begins months in advance by determining the timing, delegating tasks, and organizing logistics to ensure everything is covered while we are out of town. Reliable support from trusted partners or neighbors is essential for handling key responsibilities while we’re away. Additionally, maintaining open communication with our help is vital in case any emergencies arise during our time away.
In 2024, my husband and I ventured on our longest trip away from home together in five years and first vacation ever with three young children. After weeks of meal prepping for the trip, organizing our travel logistics, and arranging help from our absolutely wonderful neighbors to cover livestock chores while we were gone, we finally did it. We pointed north to our first family vacation, a fishing trip—not unlike the ones I used to take as a kid. The planning was worth every minute – almost a year later and our girls are still asking about when our fishing trip is!
Although it can seem impossible to step away from our livelihoods, taking a reprieve is healthy. Breaks from the daily grind provide an opportunity to rekindle childhood memories and create new ones as a family. The mental refreshment, bonding, and joy of a family vacation are the ultimate rewards for the effort. We are already deep in planning our 2025 vacation and looking forward to creating more core memories. While challenging, stepping away is manageable and rejuvenating with the right preparation—and maybe, just maybe, we’ll catch a fish or two!
